The master chef, published author, and celebrated personality has just found his new diamond in the rough -- Michigan -- and tells PopMatters all about it's culinary secrets in this exclusive video interview ...

As a thriving restaurant operator—with locations across the world—to a best-selling author with over ten books to his name to (finally) being an unmistakable face on television, Mario Batali has long made a name for himself as one who proliferates cutting edge cooking with a wholesome and genuine touch. Batali is known as always having one foot on the forefront of food culture.

And now, just in time for summer, Batali has found his next diamond in the rough. It’s a place that he believes will soon be heralded as a world-class dining and entertainment hotspot: Michigan.

Today we bring you a new tune from the Spring Standards, a super poppy young band currently out touring with Rhett Miller.

Today we bring you a new tune from the Spring Standards, a super poppy young band currently out touring with Rhett Miller and playing a number of their own dates (list below). The band’s new album is yellow//gold and “Here We Go” is an intensely catchy pop tune from the record about true love and, yes, desire. So, we think the perfect cocktail to drink while playing this song is something romantic and bright, a drink I call the French Kiss. It goes something like this…